Hours after rookie center fielder Hunter Pence was activated from the 15-day disabled list, Astros righthander Jason Jennings was placed on it Tuesday so he can have season-ending surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon in his right elbow.

Jennings, whom the Astros acquired via trade last December because they were worried about Andy Pettitte's left elbow, has actually been dealing with elbow problems since last season with the Colorado Rockies. This is Jennings' second stint on the DL this year. He was also on it from April 9 through May 29 with elbow tendinitis .

Asked if team physicians ever examined X-rays on Jennings' elbow before the Astros acquired him last December, general manager Tim Purpura couldn't confirm they even saw Jennings' X-rays.

"He didn't miss any starts last year," Purpura said. "Their general manager assured me that he was fine. Our doctors talked to their doctors, and we were assured that he was fine. Beyond that, there's not a lot that you can ask for."

When pressed on whether the Astros saw Jennings' X-rays, Purpura wouldn't acknowledge anything, other than to say Dr. Dave Lintner was the team physician who discussed Jennings with the Rockies' physicians.

"I'm not going to get into what we saw or what we didn't see," Purpura said. "The exchange of medical records was pretty complete."

Purpura, who has received plenty of criticism from the fan base for the trade with Colorado, waited until an hour before the Astros played the Washington Nationals to announce the move corresponding with Pence's return.

Manager Phil Garner even declined comment, citing the request from Purpura to make the announcement himself.

Not Jennings' choice

Jennings, who was 2-9 with a 6.45 ERA this season, made it clear it was not his idea to go on the disabled list.

"I certainly didn't ask to go on the DL," he said. "It was just a professional decision. ... Obviously, I had an MRI today. I had an MRI done in April. The one today was pretty much the same. It showed a little more deterioration of the flexor tendon.

"The MRI showed my ligament was good, and that was great news, because that's a major surgery. This one, from what I understand, is a pretty easy fix. Hopefully I'm going to get my surgery options and see when and where I want to do it and get it taken care of as soon as possible and start to rehab and be ready to go next season."

Not surprisingly, Jennings wasn't happy with the move.

"It's obviously disappointing," he said. "It's an injury that I've been dealing with for well over a year now. It's been off and on, and it's just gotten worse and worse ever since I got here."

Jennings, 29, will consult other players who have had the surgery — likely former Astros Pettitte and Billy Wagner, who had similar injuries.

"There's been times where it felt good, but it's obviously not going to get any better while I'm still pitching," Jennings said.

Jennings is expecting the recovery to take about six months, and he plans to be back on a mound no later than March 1.

Pence is back

On a more positive front, Pence returned to the lineup for the first time since he landed on the DL July 23. He went 1-for-6 with an RBI in the Astros' 11-6 loss to the Washington Nationals.

"I feel like I'm alive again," Pence said. "No one wants to be on the DL. It's kind of miserable. I'm just happy to be ready to play."

Pence landed on the DL after he suffered a right wrist capsular sprain with a small chip fracture when he slid into second base trying to break up a double play against the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 22 at PNC Park.

Pence has injured both wrists sliding into second base this season, which is why he put special emphasis on sliding techniques during his rehab stint in Round Rock.

Although Pence declared that his right wrist was "great," he acknowledged feeling a little soreness.

"It takes a second to warm up, but I would say it feels great," he said.

Nonetheless, he vows to keep that same reckless abandon that has endeared him to Astros fans this year.

"I'm going to go out there and play the way I've always played," he said. "I'll play hard and play to win."